1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to golf shoes and is particularly directed to improved covers for the spikes of golf shoes and the like.
2. Prior Art
As is widely known, golf shoes are made with spikes for enhancing the foot grip of the wearer to provided more certain stance and to prevent slipping. Unfortunately, when the golfer goes into the club house or gets into his car to drive home, the spikes tend to tear carpets, scratch floors and create other hazards. Therefore, it would be desirable to provide some means for covering the spikes when they are not needed. Obviously, such covers should be easily applied and removed, since the golfer may want to put the covers on and off repeatedly. For example, the golfer might put the covers on when he dresses at home to prevent damaging the floors and carpets of his home, and to avoid damaging the carpeting in his car as he drives to the golf course. When he arrives, he may remove the covers in order to play golf, but may wish to stop somewhere along the way for a snack or drink and may wish to cover his spikes to enter the clubhouse to do this. Subsequently, he will wish to remove the covers to complete his game and, then, may wish to put the covers on again to return home.
Another reason for using golf shoe spike covers is that the spikes tend to be very slippery on smooth, hard surfaces, such as concrete, and make it difficult for the golfer to walk safely. Furthermore, such surfaces tend to wear down the spikes quite rapidly, necessitating frequent replacement of the spikes.
As might be expected, numerous prior attempts have been made to provide removable covers for golf spikes. However, most of the prior art devices require straps or the like which are unsightly. In addition, many of the prior art devices have been difficult and time-consuming to apply and remove. Other prior art golf spike covers have tended to fall off during use, which may cause the wearer to trip and possibly injure himself. Yet other prior art golf shoe spike covers have not provided adequate protection to assure that the spikes to not scratch or tear adjacent surfaces. An additional problem with the use of golf shoe cleat covers arises from the fact that the pattern and spacing of the cleats varies from one manufacturer to another and from one size shoe to another. None of the prior art golf shoe cleat covers have been able to accommodate these differences. A search in the United States Patent Office has revealed the following:
______________________________________ U.S. PAT. NO. INVENTOR ISSUED ______________________________________ 3,020,654 D. H. McCann Feb. 13, 1962 3,243,902 D. J. Chapman Apr. 5, 1966 3,821,858 T. K. Haselden July 2, 1974 3,858,336 R. E. Brown Jan. 7, 1975 3,913,243 K. E. Arnold et al Oct. 21, 1975 3,964,180 A. M. Cortese Jun. 22, 1976 4,258,483 A. F. Hogue Mar. 31, 1981 4,387,515 D. E. Baldwin Jun. 14, 1983 4,484,398 B. G. Goodwin et al Nov. 27, 1984 ______________________________________
Each of these references is subject to the deficiencies noted above. Thus, none of the prior art golf shoe spike cover devices have been entirely satisfactory.